EPILOGUE
by ishiplumione
Summary: I've read Eden by Obsessmuch and have created a different ending to her story.


I, Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, could not have predicted what was to come from one of the lowest points in my life. As I was close to dying, after being brutally stabbed, a kind soul produced the blood-replenishing potion and I was able to recuperate. Many STILL believe I'm dead, which was a blessing then since I was able to fool most of my enemies plus have enough time to rebuild my life. Hermione and Ron had run away together, but I soon caught up with them. When Hermione saw me she threw her arms around my neck and promised eternal love. Ron, for his part, left quietly. He soon found another kindred soul to marry.

As for me and my sins, now I had the chance to pay them all. I wanted our son Lumen to have a chance in this world, and I knew it wouldn't be easy. Narcissa quickly found herself a richer husband. (Smirk.) No surprise there… Draco, my lovely boy, has forgiven me and taken Astoria for his wife, and now they are raising little Skorpio. He's a better father than me, I'm glad to say. No regrets there.

As we all know, Lord Voldemort has been defeated. Therefore, I shall no longer need to live in his shadow anymore. I must admit it was fun being a death eater, though it wasn't too fulfilling. Playing with my son Lumen and gracious wife mean more to me than anything in this world. I was given a second chance to live life right – I was lucky to find love twice. When I married Narcissa I was too immature. I'm not even sure if I loved her, it was kind of an arranged marriage. I always felt very apprehensive, but when Draco was born he brought me a lot of joy. He was such a good baby, just like Lumen.

A LOT of people have objected to my second marriage to Hermione, not only due to our age difference, but also to the fact that a pureblood such as I should marry a mudblood. Plus I'm Slytherin, and she, Gryffiindor. When the Sorting Hat landed on Lumen it was the first time it could NOT decide which house he belonged to. There was an uproar. Turns out our Lumen became more popular than Harry Potter in his heyday. As we speak he's studying to become an ambassador, and boy am I glad Hermione chose not to abort our child, or else we both would have lost out in the end.

It has been a series of very difficult years as I was working hard to provide for our little family. Not being young anymore was rough, plus having to let go of most of my share of the family wealth. At one time I had two jobs. OH how I wished I could rob Gingrott's! Thankfully, those thoughts are gone now.

My wife Hermione is as pretty as ever…ever so sly…I wonder if that Sorting Hat is really all that reliable! She behaves like a proper lady, gives me no reason for any regrets. I asked her if she wanted another child, but she promptly turned around and replied she already had two. Now she's dedicating herself to finishing her Ph.D. in advanced potion making. Instead of becoming a professor, she has chosen to dedicate her life to the creation of unusual medicines. Young as she is, she has already been nominated twice for the Noble Prize in medicine. Wow…I knew she had always been smart, but I didn't know I had a budding genius in my hands.

Bellatrix…believe it or not, even with all her cruelty, that's one person I truly miss from the past. YES she was evil. YES she was also crazy, and unpredictable, yet I loved her sense of fashion, her sense of humor, her brazenness. There is no one like her right now. Oh, well.

For a long time people hated us. I was tired of receiving hate mail, threats, having rotten tomatoes thrown at our door. I was called a rapist, and Hermione, a home wrecker. I'm glad our son Lumen was too young to fully understand what the commotion was all about. It was as if the war had ended, but news of its ending had not reached the populace at large. Jesus! I thought that they would stone us to death, burn down our home or even steal our son. Thankfully none of that happened, but we lived in fear for a long time. Hermione was attacked a couple of times by perfect strangers, so I decided to hire a bodyguard for her though now we don't need that anymore.

I was spared death, just like Harry Potter. He was deemed a hero, and I, "the bastard/coward who lived." Now Potter could reign and bask in all his glory, and all I had was a string of murders and failures. NOT pretty. Had I died at Bella's hands at least a handful of fools would weep at my gravesite. A violent death seems to bring out compassion for even the worst of criminals. At least I COULD have played Jesus, but no! None of that. I was forced to live with the shameful situation I had created – a situation in which I was both master and victim, net and fly.

(Silence.)

I despise that. I despise everything. And yet I had to deal with what was there, the left-overs of my greed and pride, lust and disgust.

(Hermione walks in.)

"Are you okay? I heard your voice."

"Oh, I was just talking to myself, dear."

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No…here. Just sit by me."

wi


End file.
